Coach Found Not Guilty In Player's Death

September 21, 2009|Posted by Christy Cabrera Chirinos on September 21, 2009 10:15 AM

Not sure if you've been following the Kentucky case of Jason Stinson, but a verdict came down last week and I figured it might be an interesting read.

According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, a jury needed just 90 minutes to deliver the not guilty verdict in Stinson's trial on Thursday. He was charged with reckless homicide after one of his players, Max Gilpin, collapsed and died after a grueling practice.

Here in South Florida, heat exhaustion and heat-related illnesses are a concern for Broward County coaches. Earlier this summer, I wrote a story about how teams deal with the sweltering conditions and how new guidelines were issued to help players gradually adjust to two-a-day practices.

In doing my interviews for that story, several coaches expressed that they were keeping an eye on the Stinson trial and that they understood how their coaching careers could be at stake if a similar situation arose in their program.

What are your thoughts on this? Should Stinson have even faced homicide charges? Agree or disagree with the jury's verdict?

Ultimately, how responsible is a coach when a player suffers from a heat-related injury? Let me know your thoughts and read the full Louisville Courier-Journal story HERE.